The First World Championships Maximum (147 Break by Cliff Thorburn in 1983) | Snooker Videos | PubSnooker.com The First World Championships Maximum (147 Break by Cliff Thorburn in 1983) The First World Championships Maximum (147 Break by Cliff Thorburn in 1983) Cliff Thorburn made the first World Snooker Championships 147 break (Maximum) on 23rd April 1983 against Terry Griffiths. The Canadian's maximum took over 30 minutes to complete, maybe the slowest in history, and was famous for the fluked red that started the break. Cliff Thorburn made one more 147 in 1989. The Grinder won the World Snooker Championship in 1980, the first non-British player to do so, and was runner-up twice (1977 & 1983). He is a former World number 1 too. The video skips through the first few reds quickly because of the time taken to complete this break. The final few balls are shown in full.

The Fastest Ever 147 by Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan Watch Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan hit the fastest ever maximum break (147) in only 5mins 20secs! That's a perfect break, 15 reds with 15 backs followed by the yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black in the time it takes Ebdon to pick up his cue! This... Jimmy White showing off his cue power with extreme screw as he wins his 1984 Masters semi-final match - back when snooker was watched by tens of millions in the UK. The 1985 World Snooker Championship Final Reviewed The 1985 World Snooker Championship Final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor is the most thrilling and the most epic of epic matches ever. Hear Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor talk you through the closing moments of the greatest snooker final in history.... The 1985 World Snooker Championship Final Frame (Part 1) Watch the final frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor.

Watch and feel the tension and atmosphere grow to levels never seen before in a snooker match as the epic final goes to the wire, the final black in t... Watch the final frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. This is it, the final few balls causing more problems then ever before in a final, and Dennis Taylor's unforgettable celebrations. The First Televised Maximum (147 Break by Steve Davis in 1982) Steve Davis made the first televised 147 break (Maximum) on 11th Jan 1982 in the Lada Classic against John Spencer. The Nugget (also known as the Ginger Magician) went on to dominate the 1980s and become one of the greatest ever snooker players and was sti... The First World Championships Maximum (147 Break by Cliff Thorburn in 1983) Cliff Thorburn made the first World Snooker Championships 147 break (Maximum) on 23rd April 1983 against Terry Griffiths.

The Canadian's maximum took over 30 minutes to complete, maybe the slowest in history, and was famous for the fluked red that started... Maximum Break (147 Break by Jimmy White in 1992) Jimmy White made this 147 maximum in the World Snooker Championships on 22nd April 1992 against Tony Drago. This was The Whirlwind's only maximum in his long and unfortunate career. Jimmy, known as the people's champion, had bad fortune in the World Champi... Maximum Break (147 Break by Stephen Hendry in 1997) Stephen Hendry made this 147 maximum break in the Charity Challenge on 5th January 1997 against Ronnie O'Sullivan. This 147 was remarkable as it was in the deciding frame in the final of the championship. If that wasn't enough, Hendry was leading 8-2 in th... World Records - snooker.org Awards | Odd Stuff | World Records | Managers Snooker World Records Here are the (unofficial) snooker world records that I have collected.

If you notice any errors or know of any other records, please let me know. World Championships Most Titles The World Professional Championship (instituted 1927) was won a record 15 times by Joe Davis, on the first 15 occasions it was contested 1927-40 and 1946. The most wins in the Amateur Championships (instituted 1963) have been two by; Gary Owen in 1963 and 1966; Ray Edmonds 1972 and 1974; and Paul Mifsud (Malta) 1985-86. Allison Fisher (b. 24 Feb 1968) has won seven Women's World Championships, 1985-86, 1988-89, 1991, 1993-94. Maureen Baynton (née Barrett) won a record eight Women's Amateur Championships between 1954 and 1968, as well as seven at billiards. Youngest The youngest man to win a world title is Michael White (Wales) (b.

5 Aug 1991) who was 14 yr 210 days when he won the World Amateur Snooker Championships in Prestatyn, Wales on 3 Mar 2006. Stephen Hendry (Scotland) (b. 13 Jan 1969) became the youngest World Professional Champion, at 21 yr 106 days on 29 Apr 1990. Stacey Hillyard (b. 5 Sep 1969) won the Women's World Amateur Championship in October 1984 at the age of 15. Highest Breaks Maximum Breaks The first to achieve the maximum break of 147 was E.J. Murt O'Donoghue (New Zealand) (1901-94) at Griffiths, New South Wales, Australia on 26 Sep 1934. The first officially ratified 147 was by Joe Davis against Willie Smith at Leicester Square Hall, London on 22 Jan 1955. The first achieved in a major tournament were by John Spencer (b.

18 Sep 1935) at Slough, Berks on 13 Jan 1979, but the table had oversized pockets, and by Steve Davis (b. 22 Aug 1957) who had a ratified break of 147 against John Spencer in the Lada Classic at Oldham, Greater Manchester on 11 Jan 1982. This was also the first televised maximum. The youngest to score a competitive maximum was Judd Trump (b. Aug 1989) at 14 yr 206 days days in an under-16 series match against Chris Piech at the Potters Club in Coalville on 13 Mar 2004. Ronnie O'Sullivan (b. 5 Dec 1975) made a maximum at 15 yr 98 days during the English Amateur Championship (Southern Area) at Aldershot, Hants on 13 Mar 1991. Cliff Thorburn (Canada) (b.

16 Jan 1948) was first to make two tournament 147 breaks on 23 Apr 1983 (the first in the World Professional Championships) and 8 Mar 1989. Peter Ebdon (b. 27 Aug 1979) and James Wattana (Thailand) (b. 17 Jan 1970) have also achieved this feat. Ronnie O'Sullivan have the most maximums in the professional game with 13 ahead of Stephen Hendry who has 11. O'Sullivan's latest came at the 2014 Coral UK Championship , in the last frame of the last-16 match against Matthew Selt (England). Stephen Hendry became the first to make more than two tournament 147s. Hendry's first was made in the European League and his second in the 1995 World Championship . The record-breaking third came on 25 Nov 1995 in the UK Championship .

Not content with this he made his fourth maximum on 5 Jan 1997 in the 1997 Liverpool Victoria Charity Challenge and his fifth on 23 May 1998 in the 1998 Dr Martens Premier League , his sixth on 19 Sep 1999 in the final of the 1999 British Open (the first maximum in a ranking final), his seventh on (21-23) November in 1999 in the 1999 Liverpool Victoria UK Championship , his eighth on 25 Feb 2001 in the final of the 2001 Rothmans Grand Prix, his ninth on 28 Apr 2009 in the quarterfinals of the 2009 Betfred.com World Championship , his 10th in the second round of the 2011 Wyldecrest Park Homes Welsh Open and his 11th in the first round of the 2012 Betfred.com World Championship ! Leo Levitt was the first amateur to achieve the maximum break, in november 1948 at the Windsor Bowling alley in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Geet Sethi (India) was the first one to manage one in competition, in the Indian Amateur Championships on 21 Feb 1988. In the World Junior Championship in Iceland (June 1989) Gary Hill made a maximum break at the age of 20 years 8 months and became the youngest player to achieve this in a WPBSA recognised competion. In April 2002 the New Zealand No2, amateur Harry Haenga, father of national champion Daniel Haenga, scored a 147 off the break against Glenn Gemmel at the Porirua Club, near Wellington, New Zealand. This was not in a tournament but was witnesses by two A Grade players, one of whom is a NZ representative and the other is a Referee. Ronnie O'Sullivan and Jimmy White made 147s in consecutive frames during an exhibition in Ireland, in January 2009. Peter Ebdon made 147s in two consecutive frames during an exhibition match against Steve Davis in 2003. 16 Red Ball Clearances In Competition The highest snooker break in competition is Wally West's 151.

He made the break in the final of a club handicap at the Hounslow Lucania Club in 1976 against Derek "Butch" Rogers, in front of about 100 spectators. The qualified referee John Posner was in charge of the match. Wally won the first frame with the aid of a 104. In the second, Butch clipped the blue and left Wally snookered. Wally potted green as his free ball with a brown to follow. He then took 14 red and blacks and a pink off the last red. He then cleared up to make the 151. Jamie Burnett (Scotland) made a break of 148 on 16 October 2004, at the Prestatyn qualifiers for the Travis Perkins UK Championship. This was the first break over 147 in professional snooker. Burnett made the break in the 14th frame of his match against Leo Fernandez. He potted the brown as the extra red, then another brown followed by the 15 reds and all the colours.

He made a blue on the first red, a pink on the last one and another pink on one of the other reds. The rest went with blacks. He went on to win the match 9-8. The first 16 red clearance in a tournament was by Steve James (b. 2 May 1961) who made 135 against Alex Higgins in the World Professional Championships at Sheffield, S Yorks on 14 Apr 1990. Steve Duggan (b. 10 Apr 1958) made a witnessed break of 148 against Mark Rowing in a local handicap tournament at in the Woodlands Snooker Club, Woodlands, Doncaster, S Yorks on 27 Apr 1988. The Guinness Book of Records got it wrong at the time, saying it was in a practise match. Phil Doody was the referee in the aforementioned match. The week before the match Rowing, made a 155 break against Doody, in a practise frame, on the same table, in the same club! Unfortunately, as only Rowing and Doody were present, the Guinness Book of Records, wouldn't record it.

Dean Reynolds (England) had a 16 red clearance of 143 in the seniors event of the 2006 European Team championships, in Carlow, Ireland. 6 December 2008 Ricky Walden (England) made a 16 red clearance of 141 against Mark Davis (England) in the last qualifying round for the 2008 Maplin UK Championship. The event was held at The World Snooker Academy in EIS (English Institute of Sport) Sheffield. He won the frame 149-0. It was the thirteenth frame of the best-of-17 match, which he lost 7-9. Others In 2006 Jamie Cope became the first player to record a 155 break. He did it in a witnessed practice match. Jamie is a professional snooker player from Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire, England. On 23 April 2003 Cope had made a 151 break on the match table at The Reardon Snooker Club (Hanley Stoke-on-Trent) during a practise game with David Fomm-Ward.

After a foul shot by his opponent Jamie was snookered behind the Brown ball. He took the Brown as the free ball and then potted Blue, 8 Red and 8 Black, 2 Red and 2 Pink, 5 Red and 5 Black. Then cleared all the colours. He was 17 years old at the time. Teenager Sam Harvey scored a break of 151 during a practice match at his home club in Bedford in November 2010. The 17-year-old was playing tour professional Kyren Wilson when he registered the score. After a foul from his opponent early in the frame, Harvey was left with a free ball, and potted the brown to a centre pocket, gaining position on the black. He then spilt the reds open and went on to pot all 15, taking 12 more blacks, two pinks and a blue before clearing the colours. In 1995 Tony Drago's (Malta) (b. 22 Sep 1965) made a 149 in a practice match against Nick Manning at the West Norwood Snooker Club. Drago broke off and snookered Manning behind the brown.

Manning tried to escape from the snooker but left a free ball. Drago took the brown as the free ball and then the brown again for four more points and followed that with 15 reds, 13 blacks, a pink and a blue and all the colours. Eddie Manning (Leicester, England) also achieved a 149, in 1997 at Willie Thorne's in Leicester. His practice partner was Kam (or Kan?) Pandya. Manning. Like Drago he took brown, brown, 13 blacks, pink and blue. Stephen Hendry made a 148 in practice vs Alfie Burden in 1993. In 1976 Alex Higgins knocked in a 146 vs Willie Thorne in a Challenge Match. He had brown, green, 10 blacks and 5 pinks. Cliff Thorburn managed a 139 in practice against Geoff Foulds in 1980. Other High Breaks and Most Unanswered Points Kelly Fisher is the leader among the women. She has a 143 in competition and 20+ 147's in practice.

Four consecutive century breaks were first compiled in a major tournament by John Higgins : 103, 104, 138 and 128, in Preston, England on Sun 16th October 2005. He achieved the feat in the final of the 2005 Grand Prix , against Ronnie O'Sullivan . Shaun Murphy (England) equalled the feat in the 2007 Welsh Open , Feb 14 2007, in Newport Centre, Wales. He beat Jamie Cope 5-0 in the second round and won the first four frames with 135, 110, 102 and 101. Three consecutive century breaks were first compiled in a ranking tournament by Steve Davis : 108, 101 and 104 at Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs on 10 Sep 1988. In 1998 John Higgins (Scotland) (b. 18th May 1975) became the first to manage the feat in a World Championship match.

Peter Ebdon became the first to make four century breaks in five frames, in the European Open qualifying competition at Blackpool on 6 Sep 1992. Stephen Hendry made seven centuries in the final of the 1994 UK Championship , which is a record in a professional match. He also became the first player ever to make five centuries in seven frames. In the 2004 British Open Stephen Maguire (Scotland) made five consecutive centuries over two matches. He finished his quarter-final match against Anthony Hamilton with three centuries and started his semi-final against Ronnie O'Sullivan with two more. Mark Allen (N.Ireland) has also made five consecutive century breaks, at the Larne Masters, in the Fountain Club in Larne, Northern Ireland, 23 January 2005. Allen finished off his second round match against Stephen Smith with a 117, before rattling in breaks of 134, 120 and 104 to beat Declan Hughes 3-0. He then began his quarter-final match against Robert McCullough with a 116.

Just for good measure, Mark had begun his match against Smith with a 111 break, making it a phenomenal six centuries in seven frames. In the 2007 Northern Ireland Trophy Ronnie O'Sullivan made five centuries - the first time that has ever been achieved in a ranking event best-of-nine match. The third-round match, which he won 5-2, was played 8 November against Allister Carter (England). Ronnie warmed up with 108, 122 and 107 intaking a 3-1 lead before a 147. Carter pulled one frame back then O'Sullivan closed with a 129 total clearance. John Higgins won the 2005 Grand Prix in Preston and rewrote the record books in the process. In his final demolition of Ronnie O'Sullivan (9-2) he knocked in four consecutive century breaks (103, 104, 138 and 128), a feat never to have been accomplished in professional ranking tournaments.

Higgins also broke the "points unanswered" record in a ranking event (previously set by Stephen Hendry , 487 in the 1996 Wembley Masters against Jimmy White ). Higgins scored 494 points without a reply from O'Sullivan. This record was later beaten by Stuart Bingham (England) who made 547 against Sam Baird in the 2016 China Open . Ronnie O'Sullivan has the all-time record with 556 points in the 2014 Masters final . World Snooker Championship | Snooker Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit The first championship was held in 1927 and Joe Davis helped to organise the event. Matches were held at various venues, and the final took place at Camkin's Hall, Birmingham. Joe Davis won the event, beating Tom Dennis 20-11. His prize money was £6.10s. The highest break of the tournament was 60 by Albert Cope. In subsequent years, finals were held at various venues. Joe Davis won every year until 1940.

Despite an upsurge in interest in snooker there were only two entrants for the 1931 professional championship . The event was staged in the back room of a Nottingham pub, owned by Tom Dennis . The fact that he was playing on his own table didn't help as Joe Davis ran out a 25-21 winner for his fifth consecutive victory. In 1940, Joe Davis just beat his younger brother Fred 37-36. No tournaments were organised during the remaining World War II and it only resumed in 1946 when Joe Davis won again for the 15th time, a record that still stands. Joe Davis never contested the world championship again, though he continued to play professional snooker. Walter Donaldson won in 1947, but it was Fred Davis who dominated the next few years, winning it three times in 1948, 1949 and 1951. In 1952, as a result of a disagreement between the governing bodies (the Billiards Association and Control Council), and some of the players, two tournaments were held.

The World Matchplay , organised by the players and widely viewed as the "real" world championship, continued until 1957. The BA&CC event only lasted one year. Meanwhile the 'official' world championship did attract two entrants in 1952, Horace Lindrum (Australia) beating New Zealand's Clark McConachy – and it is Lindrum's name that is inscribed on the familiar trophy. Snooker then went into a period of decline, and no tournament was held between 1958 and 1963. In 1964 it was revived on a challenge basis, a format which lasted until 1968. This meant that matches took place on an irregular basis, sometimes more than once a year. John Pulman completely dominated during this period, overcoming all challengers in a total of seven matches. The championship reverted back to a knockout tournament in 1969. That year it was won by John Spencer , but it was Ray Reardon who was to dominate over the coming years, winning six times between 1970 and 1978. 1976 was the first year the championships were sponsored by the cigarette brand Embassy.

The following year, the event moved to the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield and the BBC started providing major television coverage. The Crucible seats fewer than a thousand people with the front row of seats only a few feet from the players. This was about the time snooker started attracting very large television audiences and for many fans it is synonymous with snooker. The most successful players at the Crucible are Steve Davis , who won six times in the 1980s, and Stephen Hendry , who won seven times in the 1990s. Recently, the tournament has been more open, with six different players winning in the 2000s. In the 1985 final , Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis 18-17 on the final ball of the final frame, in one of the most closely contested matches of all time. It finished at 00:19 but was superseded as the latest finish first by the 2006 final (00:52 BST), then the 2007 final (00:55 BST).

In 2004 , the championship offered a total of £1,378,920 in prize money, including £250,000 for the winner and £125,000 for the runner-up. A further £147,000 was on offer for a 147 break, though no player achieved this. Recent legislation has placed restrictions on tobacco advertising, including sponsorship of sporting events. Embassy had a special dispensation to continue snooker sponsorship until 2005. The Championship is currently sponsored by Betfred.com after 888.com pulled out of their five year sponsorship deal after three years. On 15 April 2009, the World Snooker Championship website announced that Betfred.com would be the new sponsor of the World Championship for the next four years. On 27 April 2009, it was confirmed that the World Championships would stay at the Crucible for at least another five years (until 2014). Winners In the 2009 Championship, Stephen Hendry won his 1000th frame at the Crucible Theatre , against Ding Junhui .

Horace Lindrum of Australia, who won in 1952, Cliff Thorburn of Canada, who won in 1980 and Ken Doherty of Ireland, who won in 1997, are the only champions from outside the United Kingdom. Lindrum's official title is often discounted, as most of the best players did not compete. Surprise winners at the Crucible include Joe Johnson and Shaun Murphy , who won in 1986 and 2005 respectively against odds of 150-1 each, and Terry Griffiths , whose 1979 victory came in only his second professional tournament. Jimmy White has reached six finals, but has never won. The closest he came was 18-17 in 1994 against Stephen Hendry , on his 32nd birthday. Ronnie O'Sullivan is the only finalist in the modern era to have never lost in a final. Ken Doherty is the only player to have won the world title at junior, amateur and professional level. Stephen Hendry holds the record for the longest unbeaten run at the Crucible Theatre .

He won the Championship every year between 1992 and 1996, and continued unbeaten until the 1997 final. John Parrott is the only player to have recorded a whitewash in the final tournament. He beat Eddie Charlton 10-0 in the first round in 1992 . Since the tournament has been held at the Crucible only two players have successfully defended a world title: Steve Davis in 1984, 1988 and 1989, and Stephen Hendry 1993-1996. No player has successfully defended his first title in the modern era. Media coverage Edit BBC coverage used to be hosted from its inception in 1976 until 2000 by David Vine with commentary by Ted Lowe . Since 2000 the BBC coverage has been hosted by Hazel Irvine or Ray Stubbs or more recently with Rishi Persad when Hazel or Ray are unavailable.

Commentary is by a raft of ex-pros and current pros including Willie Thorne , Dennis Taylor , John Virgo , John Parrott , Steve Davis , Ken Doherty , Clive Everton , Terry Griffiths and Neal Foulds . The BBC will continue to televise this event (along with three other tournaments) until 2011. IMG Media (initially as TWI) have produced the BBC's snooker coverage since 1998. Eurosport also provide coverage of the event. The First Televised Maximum (147 Break by Steve Davis in 1982) | Snooker Videos | PubSnooker.com The First Televised Maximum (147 Break by Steve Davis in 1982) The First Televised Maximum (147 Break by Steve Davis in 1982) Steve Davis made the first televised 147 break (Maximum) on 11th Jan 1982 in the Lada Classic against John Spencer.

The Nugget (also known as the Ginger Magician) went on to dominate the 1980s and become one of the greatest ever snooker players and was still an elite player in 2010, but he never made another 147. In the 80s there were only 8 maximum breaks, in 1999 alone there were 10 147-breaks (the most in any year) with most years seeing 2-10 maximums these days. As of the end of 2010, Ronnie O'Sullivan has the most maximums with 10 to his name. The Fastest Ever 147 by Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan Watch Ronnie "The Rocket" O'Sullivan hit the fastest ever maximum break (147) in only 5mins 20secs! That's a perfect break, 15 reds with 15 backs followed by the yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black in the time it takes Ebdon to pick up his cue! This...

Jimmy White showing off his cue power with extreme screw as he wins his 1984 Masters semi-final match - back when snooker was watched by tens of millions in the UK. The 1985 World Snooker Championship Final Reviewed The 1985 World Snooker Championship Final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor is the most thrilling and the most epic of epic matches ever. Hear Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor talk you through the closing moments of the greatest snooker final in history.... The 1985 World Snooker Championship Final Frame (Part 1) Watch the final frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. Watch and feel the tension and atmosphere grow to levels never seen before in a snooker match as the epic final goes to the wire, the final black in t... Watch the final frame of the 1985 World Snooker Championship final between Steve Davis and Dennis Taylor. This is it, the final few balls causing more problems then ever before in a final, and Dennis Taylor's unforgettable celebrations.

The First Televised Maximum (147 Break by Steve Davis in 1982) Steve Davis made the first televised 147 break (Maximum) on 11th Jan 1982 in the Lada Classic against John Spencer. The Nugget (also known as the Ginger Magician) went on to dominate the 1980s and become one of the greatest ever snooker players and was sti... The First World Championships Maximum (147 Break by Cliff Thorburn in 1983) Cliff Thorburn made the first World Snooker Championships 147 break (Maximum) on 23rd April 1983 against Terry Griffiths. The Canadian's maximum took over 30 minutes to complete, maybe the slowest in history, and was famous for the fluked red that started... Maximum Break (147 Break by Jimmy White in 1992) Jimmy White made this 147 maximum in the World Snooker Championships on 22nd April 1992 against Tony Drago. This was The Whirlwind's only maximum in his long and unfortunate career.

Jimmy, known as the people's champion, had bad fortune in the World Champi... Maximum Break (147 Break by Stephen Hendry in 1997) Stephen Hendry made this 147 maximum break in the Charity Challenge on 5th January 1997 against Ronnie O'Sullivan. This 147 was remarkable as it was in the deciding frame in the final of the championship. If that wasn't enough, Hendry was leading 8-2 in th... Snooker | John Nauright - Academia.edu John Nauright John Nauright Snooker Snooker is a table game as are billiards and pool. It is particularly popular in the British Isles, though interest has spread throughout Europe, Asia and Australasia and is also popular in Canada. In part snooker’s popularity can be attributed to high ratings on television since the 1980s and significant prize money on offer in major professional tournaments.

During the 1980s, the World Snooker Championships held at The Crucible Theatre in Sheffield since 1977, became the highest rated sports program on each year British television with the audience for the final even exceeding that for the FA Cup final in soccer. Snooker is reported to have begun in British colonial India in the 1870s. Snooker is played on a table that is 12 feet long and 6 feet wide and consists of 15 red balls and 6 colors (yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, black). The colors in order of listing are worth 2 through 7 points. The object is to pot a red ball followed by a color, then a red, a color and so on until all the red balls are potted. Then the colors are potted in succession from low to high until the black ball is potted to end the game. The player with the most points wins the game or frame.

Points can also be scored by defensive play in placing the cue ball behind another ball that cannot be hit first (behind the yellow ball when it is required for the opponent to hit a red), this creates a foul in which a “snooker” is awarded. Fouls are worth four points unless the foul occurs against a ball of higher value (blue, pink or black) when the value of the ball is awarded to the opponent. Potting the cue ball (white) on any shot also creates a foul. When a series of balls are potted in succession it is referred to as a break. The maximum break is 147 points when all reds followed by blacks and all colors are potted in one turn at the table. Canadian Cliff Thorburn was the first player to achieve a 147 break in the World Championships, which he achieved in 1988. Professional snooker today is governed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA)based in Bristol, England and founded in 1968. The International Snooker and Billiards Federation governs the amateur sport worldwide.

The WPBSA’s subsidiary, the World Snooker Association, organizes the world ranking tournament circuit held each year around the world including the Shanghai Masters. While popular in most countries of the Commonwealth of Nations, snooker’s popularity has exploded recently in other parts of Asia, most notably in China. The origins of the game’s name has been attributed to British army officer Neville Chamberlain, who used the term, that had been applied to incoming cadets at the British Military Academy, to label anyone who missed an easy shot in the game he helped invent. The first World Professional Championships began in 1927 due to the efforts of Joe Davis, a leading snooker and billiard player at that time. Davis helped professionalize the game though competition was not strong early on. Indeed, Davis won every championship (15 in total) contested from 1927 to 1946. Snooker remained a minor sport until the television era.

By the late 1960s it was still largely ignored, but BBC executive David Attenborough used the game to demonstrate the potential of color television in the series “Pot Black”, which debuted on BBC 2 in 1969 and ran until 1986. Welshman Ray Reardon won the first televised tournament. The series gained a loyal following and became the most popular program on BBC2. In 1978 the BBC televised the World Championship for the first time, and by the end of the 1980s snooker was the most popular televised sport in Britain particularly popular among viewers over the age of 50. During the 1970s and 1980s, snooker players, at the time mostly from the British Isles, Australia and Canada, became household names in Britain, many with colorful nicknames.

Older stars such as “Steady” Eddie Charlton of Australia (the only players to reach the finals of the world championships in snooker and billiards and winner of 19 out of 20 Australian titles from 1964 onward) and Ray “Dracula” Reardon of Wales remained competitive well into their 50s though a younger generation began to dominate the game such as Alex “Hurricane” Higgins from Northern Ireland; Terry Griffiths from Wales; Cliff “The Grinder” Thorburn and “Big” Bill Werbeniuk (the lager drinking Canadian famous for drinking a pint or more a frame and up to 40 pints a day to control a tremor that affected his playing ability) from Canada; Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor (famous for his odd looking upside down glasses which allowed him to better see the ball as he played a shot) and Jimmy “Whirlwind” White from England; Perrie Mans from South Africa (19 time South African national champion); and later Steven Hendry from Scotland, to name just a few.

The 1985 final between Davis and Taylor was one of the most watched sports programs in British history (the most ever watched on BBC2 and the most watched on any channel after midnight) with an estimated 18.5 million viewers who saw Taylor win the best of 35 frame match in dramatic fashion on the final black ball in the 35th frame after Davis had begun the match with an 8-­‐0 frame lead. Taylor fought back to 7-­‐9 down and from 15-­‐17 down to 17-­‐17 all, thus setting up the nail-­‐ biting conclusion. This final is still remembered as one of the greatest British sporting moments and was humorously recreated during the 2010 World Championships, though somewhat less dramatically.

In the modern era (post-­‐1970) Hendry holds the most world titles with seven, including every title from 1992 through 1996 (as of 2010 reaching at least the semi-­‐finals in 12 of his 25 appearances), while Steve Davis (28 world ranking titles and 82 overall tournament wins) and Ray Reardon won 6 titles (most memorably the 1975 title over Eddie Charlton by 31 frames to 30). As of 2010, Hendry has also won the most tournaments that count in the world rankings (36). As of 2010 two other active players Ronnie O’Sullivan (England) and John Higgins (Scotland) had won three titles each. O’Sullivan also holds the record for most maximum breaks in the World Championships with three (1997, 2003, 2008). Ken Doherty of Ireland is the only player to have won the professional (1997) and amateur (1989) world titles.

Ding Junhui of China and other have demonstrated the widening popularity of snooker. Junhui won the UK Championship in 2005 and 2009 and in 2010 was ranked fifth in the world. In 2010 three Chinese players were ranked in the top 16 in the world. Also in 2010, top European women players Wendy Jans (Belgium) and Anita Rizzuti (Norway) were invited to participate in the new World Open event. In the United States, snooker is governed by USA Snooker, part of the American CueSports Alliance, which organizes the national championship. Ahmed Aly El Sayed won the 2009 and 2010 titles. While snooker is increasing in popularity, the sport in the USA is dominated at top level by Asian-­‐American players and it remains much less popular than pocket billiards (pool) versions of cue sports. While there is limited academic literature on snooker as a sport, great insight into the “feel” of snooker can be gained from reading Canadian novelist Moredcai Richler’s account of the game entitled On Snooker.

Richler grew up playing the game in Montreal and provides a history, social examination and discussion of major players of the game as well as his own experience hustling at snooker as a teenager in Montreal. John Nauright Further Reading: Crawford, S. (2000). Snooker. In R. Cox, G. Jarvie and W. Vamplew, eds. Encyclopedia of British Sport: 356-­‐357. Oxford: ABC-­‐CLIO. Richler, M. (2001). On Snooker: A brilliant exploration of the game and the characters who play it. Toronto: The Lyons Press. READ PAPER Facts and figures: World Snooker Championships Facts and figures: World Snooker Championships Updated / April 13, 2015 11:59 Denis Taylor after his famous World Championship triumph in 1985 Ahead of this year's World Snooker Championships at the Crucible Theatre, we look back at some of the historical milestones and notable achievements that have embodied this spring sporting highlight.

The fastest 147 maximum break in snooker history came at the World Championship and was achieved by Ronnie O'Sullivan in 1997. O'Sullivan made his perfect clearance in a bewilderingly rapid five minutes and 20 seconds, against Mick Price. Promoters in Beijing have built a replica Crucible, as they make overtures to take the World Championship to China. Having been told the Crucible had a unique nature, the cheekily identical set-up could make China's case all the more persuasive in future. Sheffield has the tournament until at least 2017, and World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn has said he is keen for it to stay in the city beyond then. There have been 10 maximum breaks in the televised stages of the World Championship. Stephen Hendry and O'Sullivan have each fired three 147s at the Crucible, with Cliff Thorburn, Jimmy White, Ali Carter and Mark Williams the other men to achieve the feat. Hendry made the most recent World Championship maximum, on day one of the 2012 tournament.

Scottish players have won 12 of the last 25 World Championship titles, with Hendry claiming a Crucible era record of seven (1990-92-93-94-95-96-99), John Higgins four (1998-2007-2009-2011) and Graeme Dott one (2006). Derbyshire player Joe Davis was the first world champion in 1927 and won all 15 editions of the tournament he entered. His last title came in 1946 when he retired unbeaten from the World Championship. Only two players entered the 1931 World Championship. Tom Dennis, in whose pub the event was staged, lost 25-21 to Joe Davis. Fred Davis, who won eight world titles, reached the 1978 semi-finals at the age of 64. Joe Davis, his brother, collapsed while watching the semi-final and died two months later. The youngest world champion was Stephen Hendry in 1990. The Scot was just 21 when he beat Jimmy White 18-12.

Hendry was the youngest player to appear at the World Championship, having made his debut in 1986, until Belgian Luca Brecel broke his record in 2012 at the age of 17 years and 45 days. In 2005 Shaun Murphy became the first player to come through qualifying and win the world title. Judd Trump almost matched him in 2011 but lost out to John Higgins in the final. A British television audience of 18.5million watched Dennis Taylor beat Steve Davis on the final black in the 1985 final. It set a viewing record for BBC Two and a post-midnight record for all channels, both of which still stand. Viewing figures in China, particularly for Ding Junhui's matches, routinely dwarf that figure. Jimmy White, Walter Donaldson and Fred Davis have each lost six finals - a record. White, unlike Donaldson and Davis, has never been a world champion. There has been only one whitewash in a match at the World Championship.

It came in the first round in 1992, when 62-year-old Australian Eddie Charlton was beaten 10-0 by defending champion John Parrott. The Crucible Theatre has a maximum seating capacity of 980. Ken Doherty is the only player to have won the amateur and professional world titles, registering his win in the unpaid ranks in 1989 before pocketing £210,000 for triumphing at the Crucible in 1997. View Comments

Question: Who was the first snooker player to have a maximum 147 break at the World Snooker Championships?
Answer: CLIFF THORBURN